As a general term of art, I call all these guns MAC-10’s. But the reality is much more complicated. The originals were made by Military Armament Corporation (MAC) but others picked up the design as businesses closed or were purchased.
The MAC-10, MAC-11, M11 monikers all change depending on caliber, maker, full-auto or semi. There are some slight differences between the makes such as frame size & length and obviously semi vs full-auto sear.
But the overall concept regarding buffers and springs is “almost” identical. If that is true, why bring it up?
It has been my observation that “MAC-10’s” colloquially were purchased by folks who didn’t clean them and certainly NEVER took them apart and maintained them.
A good example of that is the inside of our reference collection example. The internals were probably coated in 40 years of filth, likely has the original springs, and the internal buffer has fallen apart.
When buying one, I would suggest you inspect the internals before coming to agreement on a final price.
Fortunately the MAC-10’s are probably the least expensive machine guns on the market, and the most numerous on the NFA registry. I’ve heard references to 14,000 transferrable examples made.
And with all those potential owners needing parts, there are numerous outlets that still offer new buffers, parts and springs for both the semi-auto’s and 14,000 NFA examples.
These are super cheap guns. Cheaply designed and cheaply made. Fun fact: The original Seal Team 6 made the right choice by choosing the HK MP5 over the “Made in America” MAC-11.
Despite being under some pressure to not buy foreign.
The thought this was even debated might seem preposterous today, but Richard Marcinko mentions as much in his autobiography. Also we have to remember most info known about guns in 1980 was heavily influenced by Hollywood and Fudd-Lore.
Logic that seems obvious now, was cutting edge, gun-fighter theory in the early 1980’s.
Sincerely,
Marky
www.John1911.com
“Shooting Guns & Having Fun”
Areas of focus: Defense and National Security, Modern Light Weapons, Small Arms, Weapons Training.
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